Problem with work environment

I completely agree with the other posters who have told you to stop crying in front of your co-workers, stop apologizing for doing your job (as Charge) and start looking for another job.

Frankly, what you describe as "laid-back" came across as unprofessional, unsafe and not a place I would want to work at (or be a patient)!

The poster who stated there was a reason why the nurse with 10 years experience who whined and complained about his assignment is not named Charge. That nurse is lazy and a complainer. Not good qualities in a Charge.

Get a backbone, stand by your decisions, don't pay attention to those toxic co-workers, brush-up your resume and move on!

Best wishes. And a BIG hug.

You teach people how to treat you. If you act like a door mat, then they will treat you like a doormat. Next time he whines about his assignment, go down to the nursery and grab a pacifier. Bring it back to him and say "If you are going to continue to whine and throw a temper tantrum about your assignment, suck on this and maybe it will make you feel better."

Hi everyone, yesterday I was in charge on the afternoon shift with two other nurses. A male nurse did not like my allocation because he wanted the lightest load.

No, just no. The shortest sentence is the best one. "Here is your patient assignment." And carry on with your duties. He wants to engage, don't let him. You don't owe anyone an explanation and don't feed into the drama. Write him up when he violates policies and procedures. If he comes to you looking for a fight, just defer him to the boss. "Please speak to our manager if you have questions about that." He sees you as a "hole" in the system. Don't let him. Stand tall.

Thank you all.

When you are a charge nurse:

1. Never Cry

2. Never Apologize

3. Never bend over because your coworkers ask for a lighter assignment

Your coworkers want easy days and will try to sweet talk you or be aggressive.

You assert yourself and say no.

Swallow your emotions and be firm.

If they complain about their assignment, tell them these lines:

- "Are you not qualified enough to care for this patient?"

- "What is the rationale for me to switch with a different nurse?"

- "I have seen you taken care of patient A,B,C,D,E. What has happened yesterday that would warrant a change in assignment?"

Having your coworkers explain outloud would make themselves look lazy and they would eventually stop asking or whining.

I have seen senior nurses ask for the easier patient team and leave the heavier patients to newer nurses. Thus, causing a turnover rate. But that is a different topic.

Yeah it is often the senior nurses who are at the root of a rotten culture on a unit. In this example the imbecilic nurse has been there for 10 years pulling the nonsense described above. Further, his fellow nurses and nurse manager have watched this act go on year after year without intervention. I've had senior nurses pull the "I'm old give me a light assignment" line of nonsense during my years of being a charge nurse in an ER. My response was usually something like "well its time to consider retirement or moving to a different position". If you show up for work be ready to do your part. If you can't do that stay home

So the guy wanted to change assignments three shifts running? The answer is "NO." That's a complete sentence.

Assignments should never be changed unless there's a very good reason -- and not just because someone makes a habit of complaining about his assignment. I've changed assignments when the nurse was Vietnamese and the patient had a history of being in a POW camp in Viet Nam and kept having flashbacks, when the patient was a racist judge from New Orleans who elected to have his cardiac surgery done in western Wisconsin because he "didn't want a (you know the nasty word I mean) touching him -- because I didn't want my colleague subjected to his ugliness, and when a middle-aged male person persisted in "accidentally" touching the breasts of any female nurse under the age of 70. And there was this one time when a patient with a GSW was admitted, and I assigned him to the float nurse who happened to be his wife. (He was shot in the posterior by the husband of the woman he was "with" while his wife was working the night shift.)

Pissing and moaning about your assignment is unprofessional. So is crying. And so is apologizing for making a fair and balanced assignment when someone wanted to get by with less work.

I agree with some of the previous posters who have said you're not ready to do charge yet.

So the guy wanted to change assignments three shifts running? The answer is "NO." That's a complete sentence.

Assignments should never be changed unless there's a very good reason -- and not just because someone makes a habit of complaining about his assignment. I've changed assignments when the nurse was Vietnamese and the patient had a history of being in a POW camp in Viet Nam and kept having flashbacks, when the patient was a racist judge from New Orleans who elected to have his cardiac surgery done in western Wisconsin because he "didn't want a (you know the nasty word I mean) touching him -- because I didn't want my colleague subjected to his ugliness, and when a middle-aged male person persisted in "accidentally" touching the breasts of any female nurse under the age of 70. And there was this one time when a patient with a GSW was admitted, and I assigned him to the float nurse who happened to be his wife. (He was shot in the posterior by the husband of the woman he was "with" while his wife was working the night shift.)

Pissing and moaning about your assignment is unprofessional. So is crying. And so is apologizing for making a fair and balanced assignment when someone wanted to get by with less work.

I agree with some of the previous posters who have said you're not ready to do charge yet.

Maybe it's just my twisted sense of humor, but that's funny. I'm thinking the wife might've liked the opportunity to be assigned to the jerk.

She probably would but the guy already got shot. He don't need stabbed too

Maybe it's just my twisted sense of humor, but that's funny. I'm thinking the wife might've liked the opportunity to be assigned to the jerk.

She might have -- apparently this wasn't the first time he was caught by a husband while she was at work.

I had similar problems about 18 years ago. Our ICU had a lot of turmoil after losing their heart program (it was the beginning of a long slide to total hospital collapse/closure) and it was a ghost off it's former self.

That being said, the nurse manager of 24 years retired - we went through a new nurse manager every 2-3 months for the next 2-3 years until I left.

No one would agree to take charge, so I did it feeling pressured. The charge nurse took the same load as the other nurses.

There was one nurse named Patty (not her real name) that challenged me at every turn no matter what popped up. One day she was on call, but didn't want to come in because she had been out drinking the night before and was hung over. She knew she was on call (on call meant we WILL be calling you in at some point during the shift). I called her every 5 minutes for 3 hours until she answered, pissed off. I had to tell her to get her butt in there RIGHT. NOW! We got an unexpected triple A surgery rolling down one end of the hall from PACU, and an unexpected patient they had to float a transcutaneous pacemaker rolling down the other end of the hall from ER at the exact same time - everyone (including me, as charge nurse) was full to capacity already.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

She had been making my life hell for months, but that day I snapped. I called the house supervisor who called an agency nurse - Patty reeked like ETOH from 10 feet away ... I let the house supervisor deal with that, and an agency nurse took over her patients.

Not long after I left for greener pastures.

Sometimes stress gets the better of you and those tears come flying out whether you want them to, or not. We don't always have control of our emotions when things get to be just too much. We are only human.

That male nurse on your unit sounds like a total tool. Lazy.

Look for another job my friend. Hugs from a far.